Chandogya upanishad (Ch.6,7&8)–27

 Chapter 8, Section 6

Mantras 8-6-1&2

atha ya eta hrdayasya nadyastah pingalasyanimnastishthanti suklasya nilasya pitasya lohitasyetyasau va adityah pingala esha sukla esha nila esha pita esha lohitah || 8.6.1 ||

tadyatha mahapatha atata ubhau gramau gacchatimam chamum chaivamevaita adityasya rasmaya ubhau lokau gachchantimam chamum chamushmadadityatpratayante ta asu nadishu srpta abhyo nadibhyah pratayante te'mushminnaditye srptah || 8.6.2 ||

Now, these naadis connected with the heart are each filled with a thin liquid, coloured reddish-brown, white, blue, yellow, and red. Verily the yonder sun also has these colours—reddish-brown, white, blue, yellow, and red. (1) Just as a long highway runs between two villages, this one and that yonder, so do the rays of the sun go to both these worlds, this one and that yonder. They spread out from yonder sun and enter into these naadis; they spread out from these naadis and enter into yonder sun.

            The heart is the place where one meditates on Brahman. The heart is said to be shaped like a lotus bud, and it also has some similarities to the sun. The sun emits its rays, which spread out in all directions. Similarly, the naadis arise from the heart and spread out in all directions in the body.  These naadis are filled with a very thin liquid with the colours, reddish-brown, white, blue, yellow and red. The rays of the sun have also all these colours. The rays of the sun are spread over the earth. They penetrate the naadis as well. In fact, the sun’s ray functions as a highway connecting the heart and the sun and the colouration of the thin liquid in the naadis is from the VIBGYOR or the seven colours of sun’s rays.

Mantra 8-6-3

tadyatraitatsuptah samasth samprasannah svapnam na vijanatyasu tada nadishu srpto bhavati tam na kaschana papma sprsati tejasa hi tada sampanno bhavati || 8.6.3 ||

When a man is sound asleep, with the senses withdrawn and serene and sees no dream, then he has entered into (the inner Akasa of the heart through) these naadis. Then no evil touches him, for he is filled with the light of the sun.

            When Jiva is in contact with external world it is waking state.  When the sense-organs are closed and Jiva moves within naadis it is dream state.  In sushupthi state i.e. deep sleep state, Jiva withdraws from the naadis as well and rests in the heart one with Brahman.  Free from the exhaustion common to the waking and dream states and resting in Brahman, he is serene. So all Jivas travel through naadis every day in change of avastha.  But at the time of death, Upasaka and non-upasaka leave the body through different naadis.  Upasaka, practicing Brahmacharya along with Daharakasa Upasana, alone goes to Brahma-loka through Sushumna naadi while there is no travel for Jivanmuktha as he attains videha mukthi at death. 

Mantras 8-6-4to6

atha yatraitadabalimanam nito bhavati tamabhita asina ahurjanasi maṃ janasi mamiti sa yavadasmachchariradanutkranto bhavati tavajjanati || 8.6.4 ||

atha yatraitadasmachchariradutkramatyathaitaireva rasmibhirurdhvamakramate sa omiti va hodva miyate sa yavatkshipyenmanastavadadityam gacchatyetadvai khalu lokadvaram vidusham prapadanam nirodho'vidusham || 8.6.5 ||

tadesha slokah | satam chaika cha hrdayasya nadyastasam murdhanamabhinihsrtaika | tayordhvamayannamrtatvameti vishvannanya utkramane bhavantyutkramane bhavanti || 8.6.6 || iti shastah khandah ||

Now when one becomes weak, those sitting around him keep asking: "Do you know me? Do you know me?"  As long as he has not departed from this body, so long he knows them. (4) Then when a person leaves the body, he goes upward with the help of these rays. If he dies while meditating on OM, his going up is assured; otherwise not. In the amount of time it takes his mind to move from one thought to another he can reach the realm of the sun. The sun is the gateway to Brahmaloka. Those who know the meaning of OM and think of it at the time of death enter Brahmaloka, and those who are ignorant of it are shut out of it. (5)  There is a sloka about this: “There are a hundred and one naadis connected with the heart. One of them goes up to the top of the head. A person who goes up through this naadi attains immortality. The other naadis go in different directions (that lead to rebirth) that only serve as channels for one to depart from the body.”  (6)  End of section six.

            When a person is in his death-bed, his friends and relatives crowd around him and keep asking him whether he can recognize them.  So long as Jivathma has not left the body he can recognize them though he may be struggling to express it.  But when Jivathma leaves the body he cannot recognize, as body becomes lifeless.  Jivathma leaves the body by sushumna naadi and travels upwards by suklagathi through sun’s rays and reaches Suryaloka, the gateway to Brahmaloka. He reaches there in no time as the time to reach the Suryaloka is only the time the mind takes to move from one thought to another and from Suryaloka goes to Brahmaloka.  This path is open only to Upasakas who had been practising Daharakasa Upasana with Brahmacharya and were meditating on 'OM' at the time of death.  As for other jivas, they leave by different naadis sidewards or even downwards and travel by krishna gathi to other lokas to continue the birth-death cycle, depending upon their karma.  The Upanishad is quoting a Mantra from Katha Upanishad (2-3-16) in support of this statement.  In this Mantra Yama is telling Nachiketas, while describing the benefits of Brahma Vidya, “Hundred and one are the naadis of the heart. Among them one emerges out through the crown of the head. Going up through that, one attains immortality. The others leave in different directions that lead to rebirth” With this, the section ends and also the portion of this chapter dealing with Daharakasa Upasana, called Dahara Vidya.

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